Contract requirements for STIG compliance and validation must be enforced.

The ISSO must ensure that commercially contracted systems and services supporting the DSN comply with all applicable STIGs in accordance with contract requirements. STIG compliance is DoD policy and must be accomplished to the greatest extent possible so that any information system may be Certified and Accredited, operated, and connected to other systems if applicable. Placing this requirement in procurement contracts puts the vendor on notice that their product or solution must support these DoD policy requirements. The responsibility of monitoring compliance of contract requirements falls to the AO, ISSM, ISSO, and/or SA responsible for operating the system in compliance with policy. Placing compliance requirements in a contract provides no assurance that they are being met if there is no validation or enforcement of the contract requirements.